How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:44
Rotten:72
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: Though featuring a talented cast, August Rush cannot overcome the flimsy direction and schmaltzy plot.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Feb 21, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $31,529,568
Synopsis: AUGUST RUSH is part romance, part gentle fantasy, but this sweet drama is all heart. When young cellist Lyla (Keri Russell) and rock musician Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) meet at a party in the mid... [More]
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Director: Kirsten Sheridan
It's far-fetched and a leap of faith of Olympic proportions is required to keep abreast of the plot, but August Rush does deliver some charming moments, largely due to charismatic performances from Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Top CriticClick to read the article
Top CriticDespite its flaws, the music is the ultimate star of this film and Freddy Highmore is a highlight. He plays the role with a truthfulness and innocence that hasn't been matched by a child actor in some time.
The goal is to drive mothers everywhere insane with the urge to rescue him and brush his hair (or the other way around), and in my case it worked.
Unapologetically preposterous, but it is a (very sweet) fairy tale and Highmore is captivating.
Top Criticmanages to stay just this side of saccharine, most of the time
Overly sentimental it may be, but August Rush took me quite willingly to a cinematic world full of music and hope.
More fable than film, there is no earthly reason why August Rush should work. But it does.
I liked the movie, but I wanted to get caught up in it and swept away by the magic and it didn't quite make it over the rainbow.
Most of the time, the material is quietly, subtly perfect.
August Rush will not be for everyone, but it works if you surrender to its lilting and unabashedly sentimental tale of evocative music and visual poetry.
Top CriticIf Charles Dickens were alive today, he might be writing projects like August Rush, the unabashedly sentimental tale of a plucky orphan lad who falls in with streetwise urchins as he seeks the family he ought to have.
Passionate about the importance of music, August Rush is an ambitious family film that just about keeps its head above the rising waters of gushing sentimentality.
A poetic joy: if you can suspend your subscription to the definition of film Hollywood has groomed us to accept, you'll love this film.
Acclimate yourself to the frenzied vibe and you'll feel the movie grow into itself as an urban fairy tale whose rapturous finale stakes a wishful claim on the redemptive power of love and art.
Yes, August Rush is cheesy, almost embarrassingly so, but it's also irrepressibly sweet.
Sheridan's magical movie blooms at the crossroads of music, melodrama, and love; leaving the theatre, you'll find yourself happily immersed in the sounds of the streets.
Freddie Highmore, still the cutest kid in the movies, is an endangered species, about to turn 16 in February and allegedly not intending to continue as an adult actor.
Its almost desperate earnestness actually turns out to be its greatest appeal -- August Rush does believe in fairy tales, it does it does it does!
However predictable, a good ol' fashioned happy ending is always welcome. But bring a box of tissues: A good cry is to be expected as well.
March 10, 2008:
RT on DVD: Call It, Friend-O -- No Country For Old Men Hits DVD
The critically-acclaimed, Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men comes to DVD this week, accompanied by a litany of fellow Fresh films (Lake of Fire, Summer Palace, Dan in Real... More...
December 13, 2007:
Fifty-Nine Songs Vying for Best Song Oscar Nominations
When they sit down on January 15th to determine the Best Song nominees for this year's Oscars, voting members of the Academy's Music Branch will have plenty of tunes to choose... More...
November 28, 2007:
A fanciful fairytale blending elements of Oliver Twist, Ferris Bueller, Peter Pan and The School of Rock, and likely to entertain and enthrall preteens for a couple of hours. 
More...
November 25, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Enchanted Conjures Up $50M Thanksgiving Debut
The box office bounced back over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend as moviegoers spread their dollars across a wide variety of films which collectively helped to bring the... More...
Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN.com |
GameSpy |
Comrade |
Arena |
FilePlanet |
GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox |
Planets |
Vaults |
VE3D |
CheatsCodesGuides |
GameStats |
GamerMetrics
AskMen.com |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Direct2Drive |
Green Pixels
IGN RSS Feeds
Comment
